Joanna Marie O. Santos
October 21, 2021

The Philippines — famous for its stunning beaches, tempting food adventures, and friendly residents — has something more tucked away: art museums.

 

One of the best ways to learn about our history and culture is to go to Philippine art museums. Through them, we can experience our cultural heritage in action in the present. If museum trips are something you're into, here are our five (5) picks of the absolute must-sees.

  5 Must-Visit Philippine Art Museums of 2021   1. Art Fair Philippines

 

Founded in 2013, Art Fair Philippines is the leading forum for showcasing and selling the best modern and visual contemporary Philippine art. The expo strives to reflect the thriving local art scene whilst supporting Filipino artists. The fair is dedicated to bringing the visual arts to a wider audience in the community.

 

Art Fair Philippines takes place in an unconventional urban setting, making art accessible to those who want to learn more about one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant art scenes.

 

The show promotes and supports a thriving economy for the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong by displaying modern and contemporary art. As a result, it features roughly 50 galleries in each edition, with 70% of them being local. They will have the chance to be seen by global audiences of collectors, museum curators, reviewers, and art fans at the Art Fair Philippines. Many artists talk about their work and share their opinions at the show.

 

This year’s Art Fair Philippines ran from May 6 to 15, 2021. It was held online through their website, experiencing everything through a collective virtual shared space and an alternate reality called the Metaverse. A total of 43 local and foreign exhibitors showcased various artworks—only this time in online viewing rooms with videos produced in partnership with Globe Studios. The fair’s spotlight was focused on digital art, specifically non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

  Follow Art Fair Philippines on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/artfairph/ , Twitter https://twitter.com/artfairph and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/artfairph/Â for the latest news and announcements.   2. Metropolitan Museum of Manila

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is one of the country's major museums. It was created in 1976 as a venue for global art exhibits to increase Filipinos' exposure to the visual arts of other cultures while also improving cultural diplomacy.

 

It redefined its vision in 1986 to cultivate local pride in the Filipinos' own cultural and artistic heritage, primarily represented by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) valuable collections of prehistoric gold and pottery, colonial Hispanic art, and the BSP's and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila's growing modern and contemporary collections.

 

Its wide collection of contemporary art exhibits and events reflects the vibrant multi-dimensional contexts of study, artistic expression, and the world we live in. The museum has gone out to a variety of audiences by collaborating with various partner groups to create off-site activities.

 

As a safety measure, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila is currently closed to the general public. More information regarding the museum's reopening will be made available on its websites. In the meantime, you can check their live events and virtual interactive tours on their social media pages.

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is located near Pablo Ocampo Street in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex along Roxas Boulevard (formerly Vito Cruz).

Operating Schedule:Â Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. (Closed on Sundays and holidays)   Ticket prices:

• PHP 100 for adults
• PHP 90 for adults and students (min. 50 pax)
• PHP 80 for senior citizens and PWD

  3. Pintô Art Museum

 

The Pintô Art Museum is well-known not only for its Instagram-worthy décor but also for the artworks that the owner has gathered since 1986. It is a modern Philippine art exhibit and museum in Antipolo, a historic pilgrimage city outside of Manila.

 

This art museum was founded in 2010 to publicly exhibit the art collection of Filipino neurologist and patron of the arts, Dr. Joven Cuanang. Pintô Museum (pintô means “door'' in Filipino) was established on the belief that art can serve as a diplomatic bridge between different cultures, worldviews, and communities.

 

Modernist movements like surrealism, expressionism, minimalism, social realism and conceptual art are all represented in the foundation's collection. These pieces stand out because of their unwavering devotion to the Filipino sense of national identity and history.

 

At present, the Pintô Art Museum hosts rotating exhibitions of the foundation's collection and manages an adjacent gallery space where modern Filipino artists are exhibited and promoted. The museum is housed in a building created by artist Antonio Leao and situated within the Silangan Gardens, a two-hectare botanical garden dedicated to the appreciation of native flora and animals.

 

The Pinto Art Museum can be found in Antipolo, Rizal, at 1 Sierra Madre St. Grand Heights Road. For more information, you can call them up at +632.697.1015

Operating Schedule:Â Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. (Closed on Mondays)   Ticket prices:

• PHP 250 for adults
• PHP 200 for senior citizens and PWD with valid IDs
• PHP 125 for students with valid school IDs (Children below 3 years old are free)

  4. BenCab Museum

 

When in Baguio, don’t forget to stop by the BenCab Museum! The art museum is the newest and most fascinating tourist destination in Baguio City, serving as a new site for art exhibitions and displays.

 

The BenCab Museum is home to Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera’s permanent collection. Cabrera, whom the museum was named after, is a master of contemporary Philippine art. The museum features the artist's work as well as that of established Filipino masters and up-and-coming modern artists. As an expression of the artist's gratitude to the country that nurtured and inspired his artistic career, the art museum is dedicated to the promotion of the arts, as well as the preservation, conservation, and protection of the environment and the culture and traditions of the Cordilleras.

 

The granary gods, lime containers, local utensils, and weaponry are among the Cordilleras' indigenous arts and crafts. Aside from the amazing artworks, the cool breeze will blow your hair as you take in the breathtaking view of the adjacent garden, farm, and surrounding mountains!

 

The BenCab Museum can be found along Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet, Baguio City, at Kilometer 6. More information is available by calling (637) 442.7165.

  Operating Schedule: Tuesdays to Sundays 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (last entry at 5:30 pm). Closed Mondays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.   Admission fees:

• General admission – Php150
• Students with valid Philippine school-issued ID – Php120
• Seniors/ PWD with valid Philippine government-issued ID – Php100

  5. National Museum of the Philippines

 

This item on the list is a classic for the ultimate Manila experience. The National Museum of the Philippines is a museum of the Filipino people. Ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and artistic treasures from the country's prehistoric past to the present are housed at this museum.

 

The National Museum is a government-owned trust that houses art exhibits in Manila, natural history specimens, and historical artifacts that reflect the country's rich cultural heritage and natural history. Its mission is to create, maintain, and develop museums around the country, including the National Museum Complex and the National Planetarium in Manila, as well as regional museums in strategic areas.

 

The National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), the National Museum of Anthropology (NMA), the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), and the National Planetarium (NP) are four facilities in Manila that hold collections of the natural and cultural history of Filipinos and our environment. The items on display date from thousands of years ago to the present day.

 

In addition to the Museum's collections and research findings being shared with the general population, educational, training, outreach, and technical support programs are employed to promote appreciation of the Museum's collections and research discoveries. Aside from cultural legislation, the National Museum oversees and enforces a wide range of culturally significant properties, places, and reservations across the country on behalf of the government.

 

Museums and Galleries Month is celebrated annually in October, with the help of this organization.

  Admission fees:Â Free  

(As of June 19, 2021) the new Museum Hours for the NMFA, NMA, and NMNH: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 12 pm (last admission 11 am) and 1 am to 4 pm (last admission 3 pm), with only 100 persons accepted each in the morning session and afternoon session.

  The National Planetarium is temporarily closed for decommissioning.  

The museum is closed every Monday and on November 1, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday.

 

To visit (subject to compliance with other conditions), visitors are required to pre-book online at reservation.nationalmuseum.gov.ph at least one (1) day before the planned visit. Follow the National Museum of the Philippines on Facebook for additional information.  https://www.facebook.com/nationalmuseumofthephilippines/

  These are only a few of the Philippines' most historically significant museums. Discover for yourself the rich cultural legacy of the Filipinos by traveling to these wonderful locations!   Need more fun art reads? Check our arts blogs list!   sources: artfairphilippines.com, ayalamuseum.org, metmuseum.ph, artfairmag.com, esquiremag.ph, tatlerasia.com, ocula.com, .bencabmuseum, pintoart.org, .rappler.com   image sources: Shutterstock, baguio.ph, Pintô Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Rappler, Freepik